Parable of the Talents

By: Octavia E. Butler

Narrated by: Patricia R. Floyd, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sisi Aisha Johnson

Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Environmental devastation and economic chaos have turned America into a land of horrifying depravity. Assault, theft, sexual abuse, slavery, and murder are commonplace. Taking advantage of the situation, a zealous, bigoted tyrant wins his way into the White House.

Directly opposed is Lauren Olamina, founder of Earthseed - a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". Persecuted for "heathen" beliefs as much as for having a Black female leader, Earthseed's followers face a life-and-death struggle to preserve their vision.

Best-selling author Octavia Butler's fluid writing and keen observations about race, gender, politics, and religion make for a moving parable that will be pondered for generations. A powerful reading from three standout narrators captures the multi-generational sweep of this poignant tale.

Butler's acclaimed novels have won numerous awards, and she is a recipient of a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Parable of the Talents was selected as one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly.

©2007 Octavia Butler (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1999

"Octavia E. Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction....period." (Washington Post Book World)
"These...are the keynotes of Talents: family and characters, warmth and endurance, hope and determination. It's a worthy book, well up to Butler's standard for thoughtfulness and insight." (Analog Science Fiction & Fact)
"Though not for the faint-hearted, this work stands out as a testament to the author's enormous talent, and to the human spirit." (Publishers Weekly)

Poor production

The book is amazing. Performance was good, editing/production not so much. Jumps abruptly between chapters with jarring volume changes.

Darkest before the Dawn.

When I finished Parable of the Sower, I wrote a review that said it might be a grimmer novel than The Road. The sequel, Parable of the Talents, is definitely a grimmer novel than The Road.

I adored this series and it's ultimately uplifting message about the destiny of the human species, but this is not for the feint of heart. Possibly the most disturbing part of the story is that primary antagonist is a fascist, racist demagogue using, "Make America Great Again!" as his campaign slogan. Octavia Butler was certainly ahead of her time when she penned this one.

Also, all the narrators work wonderfully together. I very highly recommend this novel. It might be the most important one you ever read.

Listen to Parable of the Sower first!

This book and the previous book Parable of the Sower were both great but, I don’t think I would have appreciated this one as much without listening to Parable of the Sower first. Unfortunately, these two books feel even more relevant now than they were when originally published. I hope that stories like this will help to encourage change for the better.

Best definition of God I've ever read

Loved it. She not only defines God and its rational place in the universe, she creates a religion that seeks a mature and relevant humanity. Almost made me religious and that's something I have shunned for more than 50 years.

A new favorite author!

You can get this for free on Prime reading. Octavia is a rare talent and I loved this book. Sadly she could only write this way from experience, either her own or stories passed down. This book is basically about what happens when the Evangelicals take over. This book was written years before Trump but you would think it was today.

Captivating

Octavia Harris is a visionary, she has her finger on the pulse of today's reality. A truly engrossing story.

Such an interesting second installment

Was different than the first, in a way that is hard to describe. I was glad to hear the continued story.

So good

I so wish the author had not died before completing this series, but It was totally worth it to read the two books that she did write and it turns out that the second one ends in a way that actually makes for a satisfying ending, so I feel very confident in recommending this series as it stands.

Just Brilliant

Narration is amazing, this and the first book are just perfection. So incredibly pertinent and beautiful. Get it, now.

Where Have I Been?!?!

This book is absolutely amazing! I finished the 1st book in about 2 days and needed part 2 and I wasn't disappointed. Its is kind of creepy how similar these book are to our current day situation on down to the make America great again slogan🤔 I hoped the reconnection wouldn't have taken so long but nonetheless Octavia E. Butler's imagination was surely ahead of time.